But don't despair, I've been doing a little research and these are a few things that may actually help you if you struggle, like I do, with this frustrating metabolic disorder:

1. Cut back/eliminate starchy/simple carbs from your diet: I must admit, although I have been very good about cutting out white foods (refined sugar, flours, potatoes, etc.) in favor of whole grains, I didn't think about starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes & corn! Also, steering clear of any product that has "enriched" white or wheat flour as the first ingredient….which basically means, stripped of all its goodness! So, what should you eat? Imagine your plate as a pie chart, half the plate should be low-starch vegetables, a quarter of the plate should be a lean protein, and the last quarter should be divided into two parts - half low-glycemic index fruit, and the other half whole grains. Don't give up low-fat dairy completely either, just keep it within the 1-2 servings a day! One last tip, breaking your meals into 5-6 mini-meals (300 calories or less) will do a lot to help regulate your metabolism throughout the day!

2. Increase water intake/water therapy {I know, I've said it before!}: there are a couple of articles I have read that talk about water therapy, which is basically starting your day with a flush of water before anything else. What I have read is that you should drink 1.5 liters of water upon waking, before brushing your teeth, or doing anything else, then wait 45 minutes before eating anything. I haven't found any scientific evidence or really trustworthy sites, so I'm not necessarily endorsing this. I do think that there is something to be said about increased water intake…I've heard that you should drink a minimum of HALF your body weight in ounces every day. That is currently my goal…I may increase it to try more of a "therapeutic" approach, but for now, my goal is to get in my 80oz a day.

3. Sadly, you WILL have to work harder than other people to lose weight: I was really offended when I visited my Endocrinologist a few months back, and expressed my frustration at my lack of weight loss. I had been working out 3-5 times a week for about 45-60 minutes at a time, plus eating generally healthy (this was before the holidays hit peeps). She basically told me that I should try to add an additional 30-60 minutes of running/jogging or other cardio on top of what I was already doing!!! I was like, "has she lost her mind? Does she not see my toddler sitting in her stroller in front of her face?" The more I've looked into it, I'm convinced that, until you get to your goal weight, you are simply going to have to swallow the very hard pill of truth, which is you do have to work harder than someone else without hypothyroidism. Be encouraged though, the more weight you do lose, and the harder you work, the easier it will be to keep the weight off. Once you do reach your goal, and you stay consistent, you'll be able to let off a little bit and maintain your weight.

**I am not a certified expert on nutrition or exercise, so please, do your homework/research, and as always consult your physician before making major lifestyle changes that include diet/exercise!**

This Week:

I'm proud of these choices:

Portion Control: I've been really focused on measuring out my portions and eating smaller meals more frequently. So, I'll have 5-6 small meals rather than three big ones.

Sleep: I've gone to bed early a few nights in the last week, and because I feel more rested, I'm more motivated.

I'd like to work more on:

Consistency of workouts, a minimum of every other day.

Eating breakfast within the first hour of waking up, preferably before my first cup of coffee.

Doing my physical therapy exercises a minimum of once per day.

Cutting down to 1 cup of coffee a day {am I kidding myself here?}.

I totally cheated when:

My TOTM {timeofthemonth} came a day early, and I haven't worked out very much in the last week. Actually I've only worked out twice in the past week, so thankfully my eating choices have been good enough to still give me a loss for the week. I can see how I totally justify cramps/etc. as a valid excuse for not sticking to the routine, but I've vowed no excuses, so I'm not going to let this happen again.

Side note: For those of you who know I'm TTC, I was a little bummed finding out I wasn't pregnant this cycle, but hey, it was only our first attempt…lol. And the upside is that now I have the green light for doing Medifast in February while I'm away in Texas.

My One-For-One this week is: Soy creamer instead of half-and-half in my coffee. I can't believe how this little change will save me quite a bit of fat/saturated fat each day!

How did you do this week? I'd love to follow your success! Feel free to link up below!

3 comments:

I'm also hypo and it sucks. You have to work harder to loose the weight. Are you on medication? I go every 6 months to check my levels and adjust the meds depending on how I feel. The worst part is the exhaustion. Great job on the weight loss!